Pulley



1952 E. D. MEADOWS ETAL 2,620,675

PULLEY Filed June 5. 1947 FIG. I. FIG. 3.

INVENTORS. ERNEST D. MEADOWS RICHARD K. WHITEH AD ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 9, 1952 PULLEY Ernest D. Meadows and Richard K. Whitehead,

Atlanta, Ga., assignors to Meadows Manufacturing Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application June 3,1947, Serial No. 752,150

4 Claims.

Our invention relates to pulleys and in particular to pulleys of sheet-metal construction.

It is an object of our invention to provide an improved pulley of the character indicated.

It is another object to provide an improved sheet-metal pulley construction having features of rigidity and great resistance to eccentric and angular misalignment.

It is a further object to provide an improved means for securing a pulley to a shaft.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a rugged sheet-metal pulley construction that may be fabricated at low cost.

Other objects and various further features of the invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectionalized side view of a pulley incorporating features of our invention, shown mounted upon a shaft;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary partly sectionalized end view of the arrangement of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is partly sectionalized side view of an element of the construction of Fig. 1.

Briefly stated, our invention contemplates an improved pulley construction wherein the pulley is essentially defined by two sheet-metal faceplate members in back-to-back abutment. ()ne of the face-plate members is also formed with a peripheral drive-engaging portion and the other face-plate member engages the inner surface of said drive-engaging portion. Assembly is completed by a novel retaining hub which may axially anchor the two face-plate members. A novel securing means is incorporated into the hub construction whereby the completed assembly may be secured to a shaft or the like.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is shown in application to a pulley 5 mounted upon a shaft 6. In essence, the pulley 5 comprises two face-plate members 'l-8 preferably of pressed steel and having annularly cupped portions mounted in back-to-back relation. The bottoms 9l0 of the annularly cupped portions are preferably in abutment and, if desired, the face plates 1-8 may be secured together at 9l0, as by spot welds ll. One of the face plates 1 preferably is formed with a drive-engaging portion or drum l2 which may be generally cylindrical to engage a tape or belt. If desired, the plate 1 may also support or be formed with a locating flange 13.

The other face plate member 8 preferably extends underneath the cylindrical portion [2 of plate 1 into abutment therewith, for supporting purposes. If desired, the plate 8 may be formed with a reentrant cylindrical portion or drum fiange l4 providing extended support for the drive-engaging surface l2.

In order to support the described par-ts upon the shaft 6, the plates 'l8 may be secured to a central hub or boss I5, preferably of steel for the case of a driving pulley. In the form shown, a first plate member 1 may ride upon a first cylindrical surface [6 of hub 15 and axially abuts a radial flange or shoulder I! on hub E5. The other plate member 8 may abut a second radial shoulder l8 and be held in such abutment by suit-- able retaining means. Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the retaining means I9 may be a relatively thincylindrical portion 20 on the hub it, which cylindrical portion 28 may be swaged or otherwise upset to form the abutment I9.

In order to secure the drive-engaging surface or drum I2 against rotation with respect to the hub 15, the plate I which carries drum [2 may be locked on surface I6 or against shoulder II. In the form shown, spot brazings or welds l 6' may be applied after assembly of plate 1 to shoulder l1.

According to one preferred method of assembling the described pulley, the abutting relatively flat surfaces .l|il of plates 1-8 may be spotwelded or otherwise secured, as at l l. According to another preferred method of assembly, no such securing means may be desired. With the latter method, it is preferred that prior to an upset of the relatively thin cylindrical portion 20, that is, prior to finally anchoring the plate 8, the inner wall 2| of the plate 8 be axially spaced from the shoulder Is, as shown in Fig. 3 (solid lines). Thus, to complete the second preferred method of assembly, a, resilient compression of both plates l-8 may be necessary to abut plate 8 against the shoulder l8. Such compression may be efiected prior to or substantially coincidentally with the upsetting operation on the cylindrical portion 2! It will be clear that with such compression of the plates 1-8 into more firm abutting relation there may be slight radial expansion of the plates l8 and that such expansion may effect a good supporting bond between the cylindrical portions li-l 2 at the periphery of the pulley. There thus may be no need for welding or otherwise securing these cylindrical portions l2|4 together.

In accordance with a feature of our invention, the bore 22 within the hub i5 may be formed with an annular recess 23 to accommodate shaftsecuring means. In the form shown, an annular member or ring 24, preferably of relatively thin tempered steel, may be seated in said recess 23,

and set screw means 25 carried by the hub l5 may engage the ring 24. It will be clear that such securing means may b effective to provide well-distributed extensive frictional contact between the hub I5 and the shaft 6 upon which it is mounted and that such contact may be extremely effective, without the peening or other destructive effects that ordinarily result from direct application of a set screw to a shaft. In the preferred form shown, a plurality of angularly spaced set screws 25 may engage the ring 24 to provide even more extensive binding contact' for the pulley 5 upon the shafts.

It will be appreciated thatwe; have described a relatively simple pulley constructionadaptable.

to low-cost manufacture. The construction is such as inherently to provide highly effective bracing against possible eccentric and angular misalignment. Th shaft-securing means not only provides protection to a shaft but also facilitates adjustment of the; pulley on the shaft, as when sliding the pulley: on and off the shaft.

While we'hav described ourinvention in detail for the preferred form shown, "it will be-understood that modificationsmay be'made Within the scope of the "invention -as"'defined;in'the appended-claims.

We claim:

1.'As"an article of manufacture, a hub for a pulley of the character indicatedysaidhub :including face-plate retaining means, said "hub having a central shaft-receiving boreandian "annular'recesswithin said bore, an annular member seated in said recess, and set-screw. means .to engage said member.

2. Ina pulley, a hub-having-a"radiallyout- 'wardly extending surface'forming'an' axially facing shoulder; a face;- plate iniabutment with said shoulder and" welded thereto, 'said' hubia'djacent one end having a-second'axially facingshoulder substantially spaced from saidxfirstshoulder, a

second face plate engaging saidsecond'shoulder, the-end of said hub adjacentsaidsecondshoulder being-beaded over'the side ofsaid secondface plate to hold the sam against said secondshoul- 'der.

3. As arrar-ticle of manufacture, a pulley-havcylindrical portion and a radially outwardly extending surface at one end of said cylindrical surface and defining a radial shoulder at said .15"

one end, a face plate havin a bore to fit said cylindrical portion and abutting said shoulder, said hub at the end opposite said shoulder being rabetted to form a second cylindrical portion of substantially smaller diameter than said first cylindrical portion, and a radial surface forming a second radial shoulder, a second face plate having a bore to 1% said cylindrical portion of said smaller'diameterand abutting saidsecond radial shoulder, said hub at the end havinga radially outwardly extendingflange engaging said second faceplate and holding the same firmly against said second shoulder.

ERNEST D. ;-.-MEADOWS. RICHARD; K. -VJHITE-I-IEAD.

REFERENCES I CITED The following references are of "recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 122,456 Grimshaw fJan. 2,1872 614,168 Fox 1 Nov."15, 1898 859,099 Nice July 2, 1907 1,161,291 'Danielson 'Nov. 23, 1915 1,211,541 Carle Jan. 9,1917 1,480,359 Wood Jan. 8, 1924 1,708,969 Gill. et al Ap-r.'16,'1929 ..12,095,025 Browning Oct. 53,1937 2,355,941 -'Ash Aug. 15,1944

1 2,417,467 1 Bryant Mar..18, l947 

